In Form Van Berkel Set to Repel Kiwi Invaders

In Form Van Berkel Set to Repel Kiwi Invaders

29 May, 2019

Former IRONMAN Cairns champion Tim van Berkel is back in tropical north Queensland looking to repel a host of international invaders and hopefully secure himself a slot for the IRONMAN World Championships in October.

Left vulnerable after failing to finish at the IRONMAN African Championship, the Cairns Airport IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championship is now the most important race of the year for van Berkel.

“I need a slot for Kona, I haven’t gotten one yet. I think there are going to be three slots available in Cairns. I know Braden Currie wants one, Matt Burton wants one and I want one. Then there are couple of Brazilian guys coming over to race and they don’t have Kona sorted yet either, so it is going to be interesting. It definitely puts the pressure on all of us.”

“This is a strange situation for me because for the last six years I have always had things sorted by this time of the year. The plan was to pick up a Kona slot in Africa and do Cairns because it is my home race and I’ve done well there in the past. Leading into South Africa I was fit and really confident but an old injury flared up during the bike that was totally unexpected. It just came out of left field.”

Van Berkel’s second place at the Asia Pacific Championships in Vietnam in May, behind the current IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange, proves he is now injury free and in great form. He is hoping Cairns will provide two extra ingredients to help him on race day, hot weather and the traditional support of vocal locals lining the course.

“What I do for the second half of the year all depends on the results in Cairns. If I get a slot for Kona then obviously I will be committed to that, but I don’t have a plan B at this stage. The fitness is good and the body is in a real good place which is where I want to be. I am really motivated for Cairns and looking forward to returning.”

“Cairns is such a beautiful location and I like it when it really gets hot. The hotter conditions seem to suit me better, so I am looking for a hot day. The run course in town makes it more exciting and involves the spectators, which definitely pushes us along.”

“When you have supporters out there cheering for you it definitely helps. You really get to feed off them, especially if you are having a rough patch. And if you are in front it makes you go even harder. I am really looking forward to returning and putting on a good show,” he said.

Van Berkel said that defending champion Braden Currie and fellow Kiwi and IRONMAN New Zealand Champion Mike Phillips are his greatest threats.

“When you have a regional champs race you are always going to get a strong field. Braden Currie and Mike Phillips, who has had an awesome year, are coming over and they will be very hard to beat. I am sure they will arrive in good form, so it should be a cracker of a race.

“The time Braden ran last year was crazy fast, so if he runs that again he will be hard to beat but he is in the same boat as me. He tried to go for the win in IRONMAN New Zealand and it didn’t work and it cost him, so he needs a Kona slot as well. I am not sure if he will race like that again or race a little bit conservatively.”

Van Berkel experienced victory in Cairns in 2016 but after a disappointing 2018 race, he has his eyes on returning to the podium.

“Things are going well and I am hungry for a Kona slot. Cairns is always an exciting race and a fun week, so let’s just hope the weather is good and it is hot. Let’s cook all the others so I can get a win,” he laughed. “I just need to race smart and don’t do anything stupid and I should be right.”

“It is hard not to get sucked into what is going on around you and that is what happened to some degree in South Africa. I just got caught up in the race and probably should have done my own thing. It is an IRONMAN and a long day. I have a game plan for Cairns and will stick to it no matter what happens and see how we go,” he said.